Russian Mountains

Recently on Highways & Byways…

From the TELL US MORE section: Russian Mountains

What do Russians do to kill time during those harsh winter months?

They invent amusement park rides, like the Russian Mountain; an icy version of what we typically call Roller Coaster in English.

The first roller coasters began as glorified bobsled runs. The Russians built tall wooden tracks, covered them with ice and raced down them on bobsleds, which were also made of ice.

They say that even Catherine the Great had one at her palace.

News of these frozen, vertical racetracks spread throughout Europe, and the Russians exported the first one to France -having replaced the ice with wheels- in 1804.

The story takes me back to when I was a kid.

We used to spend hours building and perfecting bobsled runs in our backyard near Chicago. Winter conditions there are optimal: freezing temperatures and large quantities of snow.

The best year was 1979.

The Chicago blizzard of 1979 provided tons of snow, resulting in the best bobsled run we had ever built.

Here’s how we used to build our backyard bobsled run:

- Allow for 30 – 40 inches (76 – 101 cm) of snow to accumulate.

- Find an incline and bury a ladder in the snow, leaving only the steps clear. This will be the starting gate.

- Build up huge piles of snow to design the path of your track.

- Incorporate a couple of high-banking turns.

- Use a shovel and saucer sled to flatten the track.

Boy on saucer sled

- Hose down the snow so that it freezes, forming a slick, icy surface.

Now you’re ready to go.

- Climb up the ladder with your saucer sled and take off down the track!

-
Vocabulary:

Icy. De hielo

Bobsled run. Pista de trineo

Blizzard. Ventisca de nieve

To bury. Enterrar

Ladder. Escalera (de mano)

To build up. Acumular

Saucer sled. Trineo de platillo

To flatten. Allanar

To hose down. Regar con manguera

Slick. Resbaladizo

Published by: Drew Crosby